Ship construction.



M. W. WALLACE.

SHIP CONSTRUCTiON.

APPLICATION FILED Dec. 1, 1915 1,182,725. Patented May 9, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I I WITNESSES V MENTOR Ma/zje/ it/fli/fl/ a; j [1' 747M j o ATTORNEYS THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co WASHINGTON, D. c.

M. .W. WALLACE.

SHIP CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATlON FILED mac. 1, 1915.

Patented May 9,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR Mia/Pm?! MMZ/ace rliliillilllllfl,

! iiillililll ii!!! I)! WITNE88E8 ATTORNEYS THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH .50., WASHINGTON, D. C.

MICHAEL W. WALLACE, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA.

SHIP CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 191(.

Application filed December 1, 1915. Serial No. 64,462.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL IV. WAL- LACE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Davenport, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Ship Construction, of

which the following is a full, clear, and

exact description.

My invention has for its object to construct a ship with openings in its bottom in which air tubes are fitted, so that air may be compressed as desired in the tubes to force water out of the tubes at the bottom of the ship.

Another object of the invention is to inclose the air tubes with armor, and to fill the space between the air tubes and the armor with cork or soft pine, over which hot coal tar may be poured, thereby protecting the armor from the water.

Still other objects of the invention will appear in the following specification, in which the preferred form of my invention is described.

In the drawings, similar reference characters denote similar parts in all the views, in.whicl1 Figure '1 is a plan view showing a portion of a ship with parts broken away, to illustrate the construction; Fig. 2 is a sectional View on the line 22 of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing how the air tubes are incased in the armor, and also how the spaces between the air tubes and the armor are filled.

By referring to the drawings, it will be seen that in constructing a ship 5, I provide the bottom 6 with a series of openings 7, air tubes 8 being secured to the bottom of the ship at the said openings 7, and the said air tubes 8 being closed at their upper ends by a deck 9. These air tubes 8 are disposed within hollow armor members 10 which are rectangular in shape in cross section. The spaces between the air tubes 8 and the armor members 10 are filled with cork or soft pine 11, over which is then poured hot coal tar. In this way the armor members 10 are protected from the water, even should the air tubes be fractured. The armor members 10 which inclose the air tubes 8 are spaced from each other, and between the armor members 10 there are disposed longitudinally extending armor plates 12 and transversely disposed armor plates 13, the spaces 1% between the armor members 10 and the armor plates 12 and 18 being filled with cork or soft pine, over which is poured hot coal tar. Disposed on the deck 9 there are horizontal air pipes 15 which communicate with the interior of the tubes 8 by connecting assages 16 which extend through the deck 9, it being possible by means of the said air pipes 15 to compress air within the tubes 8, which will force the water from the said tubes through the openings 7 in the bottom 6 of the ship. The main deck 17 of the ship may be raised or lowered relatively to the water level 18 by pumping air into the air tubes 8, or by permitting the air to escape from the air tubes 8, as may be de sired. It is also possible by pumping air into the air tubes 8 at one side of the ship, and by permitting the air to the air tubes 8 at the other side of the ship, to raise one side of the ship relatively to the other.

Between the armor plate or bulkhead 12 and the sides 19 of the ship, there are compartments 20, into which water may pass through the openings 21 in the ships bottom 6. The water may pass into these openings as may be desired, for it will be understood that when the air escapes from the said compartments 20, they may be filled with water which, however, will be forced from the compartments 20 when the air is forced into them. When the compartments 20 are filled or substantially filled with water, the water pressure will be substantially the same against the inner sides and the outer sides of the ship, and should the shell forming the sides 19 of the ship be cracked by an explosion or a projectile, excessive water pressure at the outer side of the ship will not increase the damage done by the explosion or shell as is the case with ships as they are now constructed.

It will be understood that in the compartments 20 which communicate at 21 with the body of water in which the ship is disposed, the air will be compressed by the water in the compartment when the side of the ship having the said compartment rolls downwardly with the motion of the ship, this compressed air acting against the deck 9 and serving to elevate the side of the ship, and tending to keep the ship on an even keel. When a side of the ship is moved escape from ends of the upwardly with the roll of the ship, should some of the water flow out of the compartment 20 at the said side through the opening 21, the reduced air" pressure in the said compartment will serve to'draw the water back to assist in preserving the ship 011 anthe water W111 enter the compartments through the openings 21 thereby lowering theship 5 in the water to give her greater stability in stormy weather, or when the improvements areused on a war ship to lessen her exposed surfaces. 1

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A ship having a deck and a bottom, and a mass of vertical tubes extending down from the deck to the bottom, there being openings in tubes are secured to permit free access of water to the tubes at all times.

2. A- ship having a deck and a bottom, and a mass of vertical tubes extending down fronr the deck to the bottom, there being openings in the bottom around which the ends of the tubes are secured to permit free access of water to the tubes at all times, the bottom of the tubes at the openings in the ships'bottom being of a diameter substan- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for the armor members 10 and 12 and 13, it is difficult j the bottoiii around which the tially as great as the diameter of the central portions of the tubes. I

3. A ship having openings in its bottom, air tubes securedto the bottom of the ship at the openings therein, the air tubes being open at their lower ends and being inclosed at their upper ends, and armor disposed around the air tubes.

4. A ship having openings in itsbottom, air tubes secured to the bottom of the ship at the openings therein, the air tubes being open at their lower ends and being inclosed at their upper ends, the air tubes, and water-resisting material disposed between the air tubes and the armor.

5. A ship having a bottom and'sides, bulkheads spaced from the sides, vertically extending tubes disposed between the bulkheads, there being openings in the bottom of the ship, the tubes being secured in the bottom of the ship around the said openings to permit free access of water to the tubes at all times, and additional openings in the ships bottom between the bulkheads and the ships sides to permit free access of water between the bulkheads to the ships sides at all times.

armor disposed. around 6. A ship having openings in its bottom, 7

vertical tubes disposed adjacent each other throughout the body of the ship and connected with the'ships'bottom at the openings therein, the tubes being open to the In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification 11113116 presence of two subscrlbmg wltnesses.

MICHAEL w. WALLACE.

WVitnesses I GLENN D. KELLY, W. H. CLAuss N.

water through the ships bottom at all times.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatentl, Washington, D. G. I 

